Should you buy an e-Book?

Monkfishy · 08-25-2010, 10:51 PM

A friend sent me this article from the Wall Street Journal: "Are e-Books Worth the Money?"

This article has some really interesting points. One thing I hadn't realized (not having bought an eBook reader yet), is that eBooks can cost as much or more than a paperback. I always wait for books to come out in paperback, and buy them as cheaply as possible - usually the mass market edition. Maybe as more people start buying eBooks, the price of those will start to come down, too.

Anyway, I'm definitely going to take the author's advice, and wait a month or so before getting an eBook reader, if I don't change my mind by then.

kevinp · 08-25-2010, 11:22 PM

The latest James Patterson ebook is more expensive than the hardcover on both Amazon and B&N. This is ridiculous!!!

Monkfishy · 08-25-2010, 11:39 PM

Wow! What are they thinking? It's obvious that eBooks are the future of publishing, and that people would buy more eBooks than paper books, if the prices were reasonable. Also, don't they realize how many books are available for free?

Great way to encourage the underground eBook piracy market, publishing industry!

clintbradford · 08-25-2010, 11:41 PM

>> ... This is ridiculous!!!

Is there blame to be passed? Is the author greedy? His distributors? The people who converted from print to eBook? The book distributors? The book stores?

There's a lot of pieces to this pie. I remember when "The Pentagon Papers" was released in paperback. At US$2.25, it was the most expensive paperback released to date.

delphidb96 · 08-25-2010, 11:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monkfishy

A friend sent me this article from the Wall Street Journal: "Are e-Books Worth the Money?"

This article has some really interesting points. One thing I hadn't realized (not having bought an eBook reader yet), is that eBooks can cost as much or more than a paperback. I always wait for books to come out in paperback, and buy them as cheaply as possible - usually the mass market edition. Maybe as more people start buying eBooks, the price of those will start to come down, too.

Anyway, I'm definitely going to take the author's advice, and wait a month or so before getting an eBook reader, if I don't change my mind by then.

If it's fiction and the price is $9.99 or less, yes, it is worth buying.

Derek

SeaBookGuy · 08-26-2010, 12:28 AM

There is an Australian book in which I am interested. Purchasing a copy would be very expensive. I could try to get a copy via ILL; my library charges $5, and I'd have three weeks from whenever it arrives to read it. Or, I could get it as an e-book for $12, reading it whenever I'd like.

Poppa1956 · 08-26-2010, 12:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monkfishy

A friend sent me this article from the Wall Street Journal: "Are e-Books Worth the Money?"

This article has some really interesting points. One thing I hadn't realized (not having bought an eBook reader yet), is that eBooks can cost as much or more than a paperback. I always wait for books to come out in paperback, and buy them as cheaply as possible - usually the mass market edition. Maybe as more people start buying eBooks, the price of those will start to come down, too.

Anyway, I'm definitely going to take the author's advice, and wait a month or so before getting an eBook reader, if I don't change my mind by then.

Here's a tip: If a product is too expensive, you don't need to buy it. If eBooks are a necessity in your like, you can shop around to legitimate less costly options.

Monkfishy · 08-26-2010, 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clintbradford

>>Is there blame to be passed? Is the author greedy? His distributors? The people who converted from print to eBook? The book distributors? The book stores?

According to the article, "Amazon has tried to drive prices for best sellers down to $9.99, but the publishing industry has fought back."

The publishers are probably still thinking of eBooks as novelties for a small, niche market. Or, they may think they'll have to make up for their falling paper book sales with huge overheads on eBooks. Either way, I think they'll have to come down eventually, like CDs did after they became the primary market for music.

clintbradford · 08-26-2010, 01:24 AM

>> ... The publishers are probably still thinking of eBooks as novelties for a small, niche market ...

No publisher can afford to think that way in 2010. This "eReader madness" is going to be with us for a while ...

Sweetpea · 08-26-2010, 02:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delphidb96

If it's fiction and the price is $9.99 or less, yes, it is worth buying.

Derek

And that all depends on where you live. I find any book costing under €10 cheap, between €10 and €15 is normal. Above €15 is expensive.

Now, the exchange rate at this moment (according to google, on august 26th) is €1 = $1,26.

I'd buy if it's below €15. If I'd really, really, really want the book, I'd buy above the €15.

church mouse · 08-26-2010, 03:52 AM

With the introduction of Amazon Kindle in to the UK market, things have become pleasingly more competitive here - at least for the moment.

The Elizabeth Gilbert book the article refers to is being sold by Amazon in the UK as a pback at £3.28 or as an e-book at £2.78.

My pet hate is the price of an e-book when the paper version is only out as a hardback. I understand that hardbacks are expensive to produce and bulky to stock, but why should the e-book be priced at or near the hardback price? I'm talking about mainstream fiction here (where the publisher knows a pback edition will follow) - when they release the pback, then the e-book price drops accordingly.

Storm27 · 08-26-2010, 05:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by church mouse

My pet hate is the price of an e-book when the paper version is only out as a hardback. I understand that hardbacks are expensive to produce and bulky to stock, but why should the e-book be priced at or near the hardback price? I'm talking about mainstream fiction here (where the publisher knows a pback edition will follow) - when they release the pback, then the e-book price drops accordingly.

See my pet hate is when the pback is released but the publisher DOESN'T drop the price accordingly. (And it happens too often for comfort)

GhostHawk · 08-26-2010, 07:59 AM

Thats only one side of the coin. Articles like that tend to forget all about the large amount of public domain ebooks that are available at manybooks.net or Google.

RyanMWilliams · 08-26-2010, 09:17 AM

Many of the ebooks coming out from the 'big six' publishers are expensive, as much or more than the paperbacks. Part of that is release schedule, if the ebooks are coming out at the same time as the hardcover they don't want to set the price too low because they're worried about hardcover sales.

On the other hand there's a lot of other options! Check out Smashwords for one, lots of excellent books and most folks are pricing them at a more reasonable level. Writers like J.A. Konrath have argued for books to be priced at the lower end around $2.99 and many writers are following that advice. And, with many devices like Nook or Sony's, you can also check ebooks out of libraries too. Plus there's a lot of public domain classics that are available.

For me, I've really enjoyed reading — and writing — ebooks.

JeremyZ · 08-26-2010, 09:28 AM

Whining here will accomplish nothing.

In the case of the eBook being more expensive, the best thing you can do is to buy the paperback. This will:

Cost more to produce,
while selling for less,
allowing you to re-sell, trade, or give your hardcopy away if you decide you're done with it, or
keep it for decades without worrying about technology advances making the book obsolete.
If it costs more to produce and sells for less, it is going to hurt them in the wallet, and they'll eventually catch on.

08-25-2010, 10:51 PM	#1
Monkfishy Member Posts: 13 Karma: 110 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: none	Should you buy an e-Book? A friend sent me this article from the Wall Street Journal: "Are e-Books Worth the Money?" This article has some really interesting points. One thing I hadn't realized (not having bought an eBook reader yet), is that eBooks can cost as much or more than a paperback. I always wait for books to come out in paperback, and buy them as cheaply as possible - usually the mass market edition. Maybe as more people start buying eBooks, the price of those will start to come down, too. Anyway, I'm definitely going to take the author's advice, and wait a month or so before getting an eBook reader, if I don't change my mind by then.

08-26-2010, 09:28 AM	#15
JeremyZ Addict Posts: 303 Karma: 1000702 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chicago Device: Nook ST, Kindle 2, Samsung Galaxy Stellar phone	Whining here will accomplish nothing. In the case of the eBook being more expensive, the best thing you can do is to buy the paperback. This will: Cost more to produce, while selling for less, allowing you to re-sell, trade, or give your hardcopy away if you decide you're done with it, or keep it for decades without worrying about technology advances making the book obsolete. If it costs more to produce and sells for less, it is going to hurt them in the wallet, and they'll eventually catch on.

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08-25-2010, 11:22 PM	#2
kevinp Fanatic Posts: 579 Karma: 3549018 Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Michigan Device: Kindle Scribe, Kindle PW (10th & 11th gen); Fire HD 10	The latest James Patterson ebook is more expensive than the hardcover on both Amazon and B&N. This is ridiculous!!!

08-25-2010, 11:39 PM	#3
Monkfishy Member Posts: 13 Karma: 110 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: none	Wow! What are they thinking? It's obvious that eBooks are the future of publishing, and that people would buy more eBooks than paper books, if the prices were reasonable. Also, don't they realize how many books are available for *free*? Great way to encourage the underground eBook piracy market, publishing industry!

08-25-2010, 11:41 PM	#4
clintbradford Older ... slower ... Posts: 450 Karma: 1924 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Jurupa Valley CA US Device: Kobo, Kindles 2/3/Keyboard/Fire/Fire HD, HDX.	>> ... This is ridiculous!!! Is there blame to be passed? Is the author greedy? His distributors? The people who converted from print to eBook? The book distributors? The book stores? There's a lot of pieces to this pie. I remember when "The Pentagon Papers" was released in paperback. At US$2.25, it was the most expensive paperback released to date.

08-26-2010, 12:28 AM	#6
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,015 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	There is an Australian book in which I am interested. Purchasing a copy would be very expensive. I could try to get a copy via ILL; my library charges $5, and I'd have three weeks from whenever it arrives to read it. Or, I could get it as an e-book for $12, reading it whenever I'd like.

08-26-2010, 01:24 AM	#9
clintbradford Older ... slower ... Posts: 450 Karma: 1924 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Jurupa Valley CA US Device: Kobo, Kindles 2/3/Keyboard/Fire/Fire HD, HDX.	>> ... The publishers are probably still thinking of eBooks as novelties for a small, niche market ... No publisher can afford to think that way in 2010. This "eReader madness" is going to be with us for a while ...

08-26-2010, 03:52 AM	#11
church mouse Evangelist Posts: 482 Karma: 5277078 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: UK Device: Kindle Voyage, Kobo Clara HD, Kobo H2O, Boox Poke 2	With the introduction of Amazon Kindle in to the UK market, things have become pleasingly more competitive here - at least for the moment. The Elizabeth Gilbert book the article refers to is being sold by Amazon in the UK as a pback at £3.28 or as an e-book at £2.78. My pet hate is the price of an e-book when the paper version is only out as a hardback. I understand that hardbacks are expensive to produce and bulky to stock, but why should the e-book be priced at or near the hardback price? I'm talking about mainstream fiction here (where the publisher knows a pback edition will follow) - when they release the pback, then the e-book price drops accordingly.

08-26-2010, 07:59 AM	#13
GhostHawk Data Privateer! Posts: 586 Karma: 62887 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Fargo ND Device: Ectaco Jetbook& Jetbook Lite	Thats only one side of the coin. Articles like that tend to forget all about the large amount of public domain ebooks that are available at manybooks.net or Google.

08-26-2010, 09:17 AM	#14
RyanMWilliams Author Posts: 84 Karma: 100001 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Rainier, WA Device: Nook WiFi	Many of the ebooks coming out from the 'big six' publishers are expensive, as much or more than the paperbacks. Part of that is release schedule, if the ebooks are coming out at the same time as the hardcover they don't want to set the price too low because they're worried about hardcover sales. On the other hand there's a lot of other options! Check out Smashwords for one, lots of excellent books and most folks are pricing them at a more reasonable level. Writers like J.A. Konrath have argued for books to be priced at the lower end around $2.99 and many writers are following that advice. And, with many devices like Nook or Sony's, you can also check ebooks out of libraries too. Plus there's a lot of public domain classics that are available. For me, I've really enjoyed reading — and writing — ebooks.

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